Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Deliberate Freelancer

On today’s show I share two timely new resources:

Introducing Deliberate Freelancer Clarity Calls!

These are 45-minute Zoom video chats to talk through 1-2 challenges with podcast host Melanie Padgett Powers.  

• Are you feeling stuck in your business and need help reigniting your momentum?
• Do you have a million ideas but need help zeroing in on the best one for you?
• Are you overwhelmed with your to-do list and need help cutting through the noise?  
• Are you feeling insecure or uncertain about a proposal, project rate or pricing structure?

Schedule a Clarity Call with Melanie — she can be a sounding board to help you cut through the noise and allow your best ideas to shine through. You can talk through roadblocks to help reignite your momentum. Or you can work together to uncover fresh solutions to client and project challenges. 

Clarity Calls are for any creative — any independent business owner — in any industry who is selling services. These calls are for those who are already freelancing and have at least a couple of clients — not someone who hasn’t started yet. 

This is a soft launch, with four slots open in May and in June. Each Clarity Call is $149.

Learn more about Clarity Calls! 

FREE!

Growth Without Burnout Summit

May 6-9, 2025

24 speakers

Podcast guest and friend Austin L. Church created this amazing summit. While it is especially for freelance writers, much of it is focused on the business side, so I think all sorts of freelancers and solo business owners can benefit. 

Learn more and get your Growth Without Burnout Summit free ticket.

Purchase a Growth Without Burnout Summit VIP Pass.

What I Learned This Week: 

Schedule worry time. 

The Bookshelf: “The Safekeep” by Yael van der Wouden

Resources:

New! Deliberate Freelancer Clarity Calls

Growth Without Burnout Summit free ticket

Growth Without Burnout Summit VIP Pass

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Today’s guest is Michelle Rafter, who lives in Portland, Oregon. Michelle is the owner of WordCount Editorial Services. She is a former journalist who is now a ghostwriter of books, research reports and articles for CEOs and management consultants. She’s a former newspaper staff writer, wire service columnist and freelance reporter who covered business, enterprise technology and workplace issues. 

Michelle has weathered several economic downturns in her longtime journalism and freelance career. She recently updated her blog post “How to Maintain Your Freelance Business in Bad Times,” so I invited her on the show to go through some of her tips. I also crowdsourced questions from the Deliberate Freelancer community so we could address your questions and concerns about the economy right now and how that may be affecting freelance businesses. 

Another potentially helpful resource: The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) is hosting a webinar at 1 p.m. E.T. on Monday, May 19, called “What the Trump Administration Could Mean for Freelancers.”

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The turmoil in the U.S. right now and the “tariff economy.” 
• How you can make clients happy by going back to the basics.
• How to be a team player and be flexible with clients, while also sticking to your boundaries. 
• How to be the freelancer that your clients know they can count on, especially when they’re stressed or in a jam. 
• How to break down larger offerings into smaller, more affordable pieces. 
• How to bridge your services to a new service or new niche. 
• “Low key” marketing versus marketing during turbulent times. 
• How to reach out to former clients, as well as following up on past conversations (that maybe didn’t lead to work at that time). 
• Invest wisely when deciding to learn a new skill. 
• The importance of having an “abundance mindset.” 
• The importance of community and reaching out to a fellow freelancer who “gets it.” 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Michelle’s blog post “How to Maintain Your Freelance Business in Bad Times”

ASJA webinar on May 19: “What the Trump Administration Could Mean for Freelancers” (recording available to purchase afterward)

ASJA on-demand webinar: “Canva Tips and Tricks for Freelance Writers”

ASJA on-demand webinar: “Strategies to Sustain Mental Health in a Turbulent Time”

Episode #199 of Deliberate Freelancer: Struggling? How to Get Clients Now, with Rosanna Campbell

Download transcript of episode 205.

Today’s guest is Sara Kobilka, who lives in New York state. Sara is the owner of Renaissance Woman Consulting. Sara has an insatiable curiosity that has driven her career in many different directions that she’s been able to connect in her freelance work. She primarily works in the STEM space. 

Sara is also a career coach, primarily for people looking to change industries or disciplines. She hosts LinkedIn sprints to help freelancers and others increase their presence on LinkedIn. 

She is passionate about incorporating diversity, equity, inclusion, access, accessibility, belonging and justice (DEIAABJ) throughout her work. In today’s episode, we focus on accessibility — how we can support people with disabilities and embed accessibility into our work.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The current political climate in the U.S. and how it affects DEIAABJ.
• Why the term DEI is limiting. 
• The wide variety of disabilities and the five primary categories of disabilities — it’s so much more than a person who uses a wheelchair. 
• The “curb cut effect” — how accessibility designed for people with disabilities ends up benefiting the larger population. 
• The disability community is one of the only (or only) marginalized groups you are able to join (when you break a bone, suffer chronic pain, have a temporary condition). 
• The movement away from the term “invisible” disability. 
• Remember: Progress over perfection. 
• Areas to start with: alt text, hashtags, closed captions. 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #176 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use Conscious Language in Content Creation, with Crystal Shelley

Sara’s website, RenWomanConsulting.com

Sara’s LinkedIn Sprints

Sara on LinkedIn

Sara on Facebook

Sara on BlueSky

Sara on Instagram

Lily Zheng’s FAIR framework

Lily Zheng on LinkedIn

AccessibleSocial.com

The Open Notebook’s list of Diversity Style Guides for Journalists

BetterAllies.com

Meryl Evans’ TED Talk: “The Pandemic’s Influence on Accessibility”

Meryl Evans on LinkedIn

Sara’s blog post “Finding Resources to Support Accessible SciComm Efforts”

“10 Resources to Advance Disability Inclusion and Justice” by Lindsey Mandolini

In today’s episode, I recap what my business looked like in January and February. This includes:

• Why I got a slow start to 2025. 
• Why I’ve been focusing only on current clients and not marketing.
• How much I earned in January and February.
• How much I worked in January and February.
• The number of clients I did and the types of work.
• How I’m thinking about so-called “low-paying clients.”
• How I offered two options in a proposal for a new client. 
• What self-care means to me. 
• How I’m playing around with ChatGPT. 

What I Learned This Week: 

Goat therapy is awesome.

The Bookshelf: “The Silence in Between” by Josie Ferguson

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #200 of Deliberate Freelancer: WTF 2025! (Plus, My 2024 Recap)

Episode #198 of Deliberate Freelancer: November By the Numbers

Today’s guest is Matthew Fenton, who lives in Oregon wine country with his wife and two cats. Matthew is the founder of Three Deuce Branding, a one-man consultancy with a simple mission: “to help good people build great brands.” Since 1997, he has helped hundreds of clients — including Fidelity Investments, Wrigley and Valvoline — to achieve what he calls “brand clarity” by better positioning, strategy, and messaging.

Matthew also spent seven years in client-side brand management, including two as a chief marketing officer. During that time, he launched White Mystery Airheads and led Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers to become the best-selling gummy worm in the U.S.

Matthew is also the founder of Winning Solo, a coaching business designed to help other independent consultants and creatives to enjoy longevity, balance and success on their own terms. 

Today’s conversation is divided into two halves: Matthew recently became a fractional chief marketing officer for a longtime client. A “fractional” role has become a buzzword, at least in the U.S. freelancing world, and Matthew is the perfect person to talk about what this means and how we might consider becoming a fractional “whatever” — the role is not limited by industry or service. 

Then, we talk about a conversation that he and I had started offline about the importance of improving both the quality of your work and how you are to work with from the client perspective. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How he was failing at the start of his freelance career. 
• How he is focusing on his physical and mental health in the chaos of 2025. 
• How his career took an unexpected pivot recently. 
• What a fractional role is — and what it is not.
• The three qualities you need before you market yourself as a “fractional.”
• How to protect yourself as fractional when it seems you might be putting “all your eggs in one basket.” 
• The benefits of being a fractional.
• How to set boundaries with a fractional client so you are not seen as an employee. 
• The importance of doing outstanding work and improving your craft every single day. 
• Strive to be in the top 5% of your craft.
• The problem with focusing on personal branding first and not your craft. 
• “Talent” is not a good enough reason to rehire someone if they are difficult to work with. 
• The four areas to evaluate so you can improve as a freelancer: core skills, adjunct skills, the work that brings in the work, and character traits. 
• Three ways to ask clients for feedback so you can continue to improve. 
• How time tracking has helped us improve our business — but also our craft. 
• Ways you can begin to improve your craft. 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Book that Matthew mentions: “Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works” by A. G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin 

Matthew on LinkedIn

Matthew’s consulting website

Winning Solo website

Today’s guest is Alan Heymann. Alan is the owner of Peaceful Direction. He is an executive coach and facilitator and is the author of two books on leadership analogies: “Don’t Just Have the Soup” and “Embrace Your Inner Peaches.” Alan is also a faculty member of the Georgetown University Institute for Transformational Leadership. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How we’re dealing with the uncertainty of the world now. 
• The importance of being transparent and vulnerable about our businesses on social media and elsewhere. 
• Why Alan shared on LinkedIn that in July 2024 his gross revenue was only $600. 
• Alan’s freelance world pet peeve.
• How he involved his virtual assistant in a reflection on ideal clients.
• Why LinkedIn is a paradise for introverts.
• How he respects his free time. 
• How he checks in with his community or network. 
• Why he loves connecting others. 
• The journey of breaking out of the “employee mindset” or “late-stage capitalism.” 
• How Alan blocks off a time twice a week for “exercise, create and learn.” 

Resources:

Alan’s business, Peaceful Direction

Alan’s books

Alan’s LinkedIn post and blog post: “How I made $600 last month”

Episode #62 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Prevent and Deal with Burnout, with Alan Heymann

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

On today’s show I discuss my favorite books I read in 2024 and share my most anticipated books of 2025, plus some popular authors coming out with new books this year. A few statistics first. In 2024: 

• I read 67 books.
• I did not finish (DNF) 16 books.
• 67% of my books were fiction, with 33% nonfiction.
• All but one book was for adults; I read one young adult book.
• I read 21 debuts, or first-time-published authors, which was about 31% of all my books.
• All my books were physical books. I don’t use an e-reader or listen to audiobooks.
• Mystery/thriller was my most read genre.

Here are the books I read that were mentioned in this episode:

• Worst Case Scenario by T.J. Newman
• Falling by T.J. Newman
• Drowning by T.J. Newman
• Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanaugh
• The Eddie Flynn series by Steve Cavanaugh
• Colored Television by Danzy Senna
• James by Percival Everett  
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan 
• Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
• The Caretaker by Ron Rash
• Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler
• The Women by Kristin Hannah
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• Lenny Marks Gets Away with Murder by Kerryn Mayne
• Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent
• The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
• Long Bright River by Liz Moore
• The Frankie Elkin series by Lisa Gardner (loved books 1-2; hated book 3)
• Silent Came the Monster by Amy Hill Hearth
• The Madness by Dawn Kurtagich
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
• Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zentner
• Only Say Good Things by Crystal Hefner (memoir)
• The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin (memoir)
• The Message by Ta-Nehisis Coates (nonfiction)
• Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love by Rebecca Frankel (nonfiction)
• How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

2024 books I tried to read in January but DNFed:

• The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston (very popular but I couldn’t get into it)
• Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj (debut I was excited about but discovered the main characters were all teenagers)

2024 books I’m still excited to try:

• The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
• Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
• The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
• Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family by Mark Daley
• The Wives: A Memoir by Simone Gorrindo
• Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz (memoir)
• A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer
• The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon
• We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson

2025 books I’m excited about:

• Back After This by Linda Holmes — publishes Feb. 25 (author of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo)
• Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister — publishes Feb. 25 (author of Wrong Place Wrong Time)
• The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker — publishes Feb. 25 (author of The Age Of Miracles and The Dreamers
• What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon — publishes April 15
• It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan — publishes May 27 
• Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid — publishes June 3 (author of Daisy Jones & The Six)
• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby — publishes June 10 (author of All the Sinners Bleed and Razorblade Teers)
• Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner (fourth in Frankie Elkin series) — publishes August 12
• All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall — published Jan. 7 (I loved it! Similar in tone to Station Eleven)
• Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel — published Feb. 4 

GoodReads’ “Readers Most Anticipated Books of 2025”

Big-name authors with new books in 2025:

• Fiona Davis
• Anne Tyler
• Jojo Moyes
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• Frederik Backman
• Kevin Wilson
• Alice Feeney
• Freida McFadden
• Riley Sager
• Lisa Jewell
• John Scalzi
• Grady Hendrix
• Stephen King — book #4 in the Holly Gibney series publishes May 27
• Ali Hazelwood
• Abby Jimenez
• Jasmine Guillory
• Emily Henry
• Beth O’Leary

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

On today’s show I discuss the rough start to 2025 and share my 2024 end-of-year review, which includes:

• My gross and net income for 2024
• My expenses for 2024
• My income goals and whether I hit those each quarter
• How I landed a new client
• How many hours I worked 
• The importance of vacations, mental health days, spontaneous days off, and staycations
• A client mistake I made — you would think I’d know better by now! 
• Clients I lost for 2025

What I Learned This Week: 

Go to https://5calls.org for an easy and meaningful way to contact your U.S. congressional representatives and senators to let them know that you want them to DO SOMETHING. 

How to use 5calls.org and why it works. 

“Is Somebody Doing Something?” — A great explanation from an attorney that I found informative and a bit reassuring. 

The Bookshelf: “How to Age Disgracefully” by Clare Pooley 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Deliberate Freelancer Starter Pack on Bluesky

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Today’s guest is Rosanna Campbell, a freelance content writer who writes “non-boring content” for B2B SaaS clients like Dock, Lattice, and monday.com. She lives in Madrid, Spain, with her husband, son, and their beagle who eats her furniture.

Rosanna’s been freelancing for eight years. In this episode, we chat in-depth about six tips she shared in a recent LinkedIn post that helped her get clients when she found herself in a “total, terrible, terrifying scramble.”

Rosanna is also consistent on LinkedIn, which we also talk about at the end of the episode. In fact, she is creating a workshop on how to be successful like her on LinkedIn, so I encourage you to follow her on LinkedIn for information on that workshop and lots of other great tips. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Why and how she became a freelancer
• How some freelancers are struggling right now 
• How she shifted her mindset to better “sell” herself
• How to think about niching down your service and your industry 
• How to evaluate your LinkedIn profile and what it says about you
• How to make cold emails work for you
• The opportunities in your email inbox you’re missing out on
• Why she likes virtual coffee chats
• Why and how she’s become much more consistent with LinkedIn 

Resources:

Rosanna’s LinkedIn post: “Need to get a new client, like, NOW?”

Follow Rosanna on LinkedIn

Rosanna’s website

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #127 of Deliberate Freelancer: Embrace LinkedIn to Improve Your Business, with Atlas Katari

In today’s episode, I recap what my business looked like in November. This includes:

• How much I worked in November.
• Why I got behind and how I dealt with it.
• The types of work I did and how I charged.
• My total monthly earnings.
• Why I offered to help a new client for “free.”

What I Learned This Week: 

How Poet James A. Pearson (and his friend) look at burnout:

“The Hidden Invitation of Burnout”

Poet James A. Pearson on Instagram

The Bookshelf: “The Uncommon Reader” by Alan Bennett

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #194 of Deliberate Freelancer: October By the Numbers

Episode #62 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Prevent and Deal with Burnout, with Alan Heymann

Today’s guest is Melissa Hobson, who does business as The Ocean Writer Ltd. Her writing focuses on marine science and conservation. Melissa lives in Hastings, England. She has written for National Geographic, Scientific American, BBC Wildlife, BBC Countryfile, New Scientist, the Guardian and more. She also does some content and copywriting for NGOs and companies, but still focuses on the ocean and conservation. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The revelation she had after a conversation with a friend. 
• Using “I’m so busy” as an excuse. 
• Fear of failure.
• What she did in her business after a mindset shift. 
• How she gamified her pitching. 
• How she organizes her finances. 
• Using “busy” as a badge of honor or part of our identity. 
• Try this: Ask yourself “why” five times. 
• How she became interested in writing about the ocean. 
• The importance of following your curiosity. 

Resources:

Melissa’s website 

Melissa on LinkedIn

Melissa’s article about Fat Bear Week 

Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park, Alaska

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #163 of Deliberate Freelancer: Dealing with Overwhelm and Uncertainty: A Mini Coaching Session, with Helen Jane Campbell

I’m excited about Bluesky! Are you on the platform too? Let’s create a Deliberate Freelancer starter pack — more on that in this episode — but follow me at @MelEdits.

On today’s show, I share five questions to help you wrap up your year to create a “fresh start” in January. I explain the difference between these five questions and larger questions to ask yourself later in a solo business retreat to set up your year for success.

The five questions are:

1. What do I need to do now to line up work in January? 
2. What do I need to do to wrap up the year? 
3. Do I need to raise rates or fire anyone? 
4. Where do I need to improve my marketing and networking?
5. How much money did I make this year?
   

What I Learned This Week: 

Your standing desk isn’t making you any healthier: https://wapo.st/3ApawfD

The Bookshelf: “Slow Productivity” by Cal Newport 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Melanie on Bluesky

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #149 of Deliberate Freelancer: Evaluate—and Expand or Fire—Your Clients for a Strong 2023

Episode #123 of Deliberate Freelancer: My 2021 Business Review and Questions to Help You

Episode #148 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Line Up January Work Now

On today’s show, I talk about how hiring a business coach for a few months helped me get excited about my business again. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• Why I hired a coach.
• The initial goals I had with coaching and how that changed. 
• How outlining who my “core self” was helped me with my business direction. 
• Insights that my coach had that helped me. 
• Why you should ask yourself if the services you provide “light you up” and bring you joy. 
• How fight/flight/freeze/fawn may affect our businesses. 
• What the Polyvagal Theory is and a few ways to quickly calm your nerves (see links below). 

What I Learned This Week: I need to create a menu of joy. 

The Bookshelf: “The Caretaker” by Ron Rash 

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support ad-free Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

How to find a certified menopause practitioner

Informative Johns Hopkins article about menopause

Menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Instagram

Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book “The New Menopause”

Article “Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats”

Reels to show you how to calm anxiety and stress through your vagus nerve:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C4D5bHNggVY/
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oyvuRyiFL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DABReeTMLlp/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBjkz5RPOgk/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9juS0PLO4/

Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

JenniGritters.com

Episode #126 of Deliberate Freelancer: A Real Talk About Mental Health—and Languishing

Episode #137 of Deliberate Freelancer: I’m Grieving. How Can I Keep My Business Running?

On today’s new regular monthly episode I recap what my business looked like in October. This includes:

• How much I worked in October.
• The types of work I did and how I charged.
• Why a lower-paying passion project can be worth it.
• My total monthly earnings.
• How I landed a new anchor client.
• Why I sometimes break the “freelancing rules” and charge hourly and per word. 

What I Learned This Week: I am not as young as I used to be. 

The Bookshelf: “The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Email Melanie feedback or suggestions about “By the Numbers” episodes: melanie@meledits.com 

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Today’s guest is Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a New Yorker who is a purpose-driven freelance writer. She writes journalism and content on personal finance, travel, pets, and health and nutrition. 

Reyna is a personal finance and health expert and award-winning author. Her articles and quoted advice have appeared in over 300 publications and websites, including Forbes, Money, Reuters, NPR, Harvard Health, and The Atlantic. Michelle Singletary selected three of her books as the book of the month in The Washington Post. Reyna co-created the 30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge and recently authored the fourth version of Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How to reduce your “ghost spending.” 
• The biggest mistakes she sees freelancers make with their finances.
• The importance of tracking your expenses.
• How budgeting apps can help you.
• How unexplained illnesses led to her nutrition journey.
• What she offers through her nutrition course.

What I Learned This Week: 

How AI super users are getting ahead at work

The Bookshelf: “Worst Case Scenario” by TJ Newman

Resources:

30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge 

Book: “Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life”

Reyna on LinkedIn

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

I am finally back! I know, I know — this was way longer than that a “summer” hiatus. I’m sorry for the delay, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was coming back. I’ll talk about that in today’s episode and share why I did come back (mainly because of you, my wonderful listeners). 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• A few minor changes to the podcast.
• How my income goals are going.
• Why my “summer” hiatus took so long.
• How I was reminded to prioritize what’s important to me.
• How I spent my summer vacation. 
• Why hiring a business coach was the right move.

What I Learned This Week: 

The types of Zoom backgrounds that are most and least likely to cause Zoom fatigue.

The Bookshelf: “Everyone But Myself” by Julie Chavez

Resources:

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

I will be on summer hiatus from June to September. This episode gives you a quick update about my summer plans and provides a sneak peek into what I’m looking forward to talking about in September. 

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

Today’s guest is Austin L. Church, who returns to the show to talk about his book “Free Money.” 

Austin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer, consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives.

Austin returned to the podcast to talk about his new book, “Free Money,” which I have read and highly recommend for all freelancers.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Who this book is for and why he wrote it. 
• How our beliefs about money from childhood affect our businesses now. 
• The financial numbers you need to know to run your business.
• What “pessimistic pricing” and “weirdly precise” numbers are. 
• Set a price that reduces the chances you will resent the client or the project.
• The fine line between setting boundaries and being difficult to work with. 
• Why the “hustle” isn’t sustainable and can lead to burnout.
• The four stages of freelancing: Moonlighter, Hustler, Lifestyler and Diversifier. 
• The money mindset questions Austin asks his clients. For example, fill in the blank: Wealthy people are __________. Making money is __________. 
• How to address our money beliefs and improve our financial literacy.  
• Why investing in a business coach can be important to improve your business. 

Resources:

• Austin’s book: “Free Money: Nine Counterintuitive Moves for Life-Changing Freelance Income”
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
  
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
  
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
  
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Rachel Meltzer. Rachel lives in Massachusetts after doing the “van life” thing for a few years. She is a freelance writer for software as a service companies or SaaS. She’s written for Lenovo, Grammarly, Loom, FarOut, Six Moon Designs and more in the tech and outdoor recreation industries.

She’s also a coach. She’s coached over 100 freelance writers on launching their businesses and getting clients and then scaling their businesses. She loves the freedom that freelancing gives her to thru-hike, live in a van, move whenever she wants, and spend time with her loyal cat, Bonnie. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The winding journey that led her to a freelance writing career. 
• How her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2018 changed her life.
• The value in community and sharing experiences with other people. 
• How she went from a scarcity mindset to a healthier perspective. 
• The jealousy we’ve had of other freelancers and how we fight against that. 
• What she learned from a failed project.
• The importance of perseverance in landing clients. 
• How to “ooch” up your rates. 
• A simple system and aggressive outreach to get clients via LinkedIn. 
• The script she uses in a LinkedIn connection request. 
• What her weekly structure looks like — and why she changes it up about every six months. 
• How she schedules time off in advance — instead of taking “burnout” vacations. 

Biz Bite: Use ChatGPT to create your weekly schedule.  

One of several tips on how to use AI she learned from TikToker SuperHumanCo

Resources:

• Rachel’s free Get Clients on LinkedIn webinar on June 11
• Free Get Clients Guidebook
• Tons of free and low-fee resources from Rachel
• Rachel’s website and 1:1 coaching information 
• The Guidebook podcast
• Austin Church on The Guidebook: Austin L. Church's morning marketing habit will change your life
• Jenni Gritters on The Guidebook: Jenni Gritters slowed down
• Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Louis Tinsley, a DC-based commercial photographer. 

Louis has been working in the industry professionally for more than 10 years and sits on the board of the DC chapter of American Photographic Artists, where he runs the annual Photo Assistant Workshop. He also recently joined the Northern Virginia Community College Photography & Media Curriculum Advisory Board. His clients have included General Dynamics Corporation, the TED organization, local news station WTOP, and DASH Alexandria Transit Company in Virginia. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Louis got into photography. 
• What he loves about being a freelancer — and what he finds challenging. 
• What a good headshot and branding photos can do for your business. 
• What we should consider before we hire a photographer. 
• What should be included in the conversation with a photographer you are considering hiring — how much retouching is done, what to wear, whether a makeup artist is included.
• How a photographer should work to put a nervous subject at ease. 
• What happens after we do a photography shoot and what might be included in the package and services.
• How often we should update our headshots and business photos.
• How AI is affecting photography. 
• Advice for freelance photographers about how to keep enjoying the work.

Biz Bite: Try to control the flow of time as best you can.  

Resources:

• Louis Tinsley website
• Louis on Instagram
• Louis on Twitter
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Episode #68 of Deliberate Freelancer: Yes, You Need to Build a Personal Brand, with Hilary Sutton
  
• Episode #106 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use Video to Connect with Your Audience, with Anita Kwan
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Kelly McSweeney, a content marketing writer. Kelly works from her home office in Massachusetts with a small dog by her side. She has been a self-employed writer for nearly eight years, with clients that include research institutions, big tech companies and marketing agencies. Kelly explains cutting-edge science and emerging technology to intelligent, curious audiences. In recent years, she has added writing video scripts and moderating webinars to her services, which is today’s topic.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The micro services freelancers can provide as a part of the video creation package. 
• How Kelly learned the unique style of writing video scripts. 
• How script writing is more collaborative and creative than writing articles.
• The length of projects and time involved. 
• The different types of videos. 
• Working with a video producer (whether freelance or from an agency). 
• How to charge and the challenge with a longer pay cycle. 
• What to consider when creating the scope of work. 
• How to find clients. 
• What moderating webinars entails. 
• The qualities a good moderator needs. 
• How generative artificial intelligence is affecting content marketing.

Biz Bite: Use mind mapping to brainstorm. 

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Kelly’s website
• Kelly on LinkedIn
• Episode #106 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use Video to Connect with Your Audience, with Anita Kwan
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Today’s guest is Annemie Tonken. Annemie lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has been a professional photographer since 2010 and is the owner of Megapixie Photography.

She also teaches creative entrepreneurs how to run profitable, sustainable businesses they love, by focusing on how they can develop helpful business systems and strategies. And, she’s the host of a business podcast for photographers called This Can’t Be That Hard and the creator of the Simple Sales System, which is used by thousands of photographers worldwide to create in-person sales-level income and service in an automated way. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How she became a photographer and later focused on family photography. 
• How a surgery left her income and business vulnerable — and she vowed to change that. 
• Her lightbulb moment that led to her membership program. 
• Why we should think creatively about the business side — and not just the creative services we provide. 
• The importance of listening to the challenges many of your clients continue to have. 
• Tips on how to set up and sell your own membership program. 
• Why this is a good model for branding photographers and writers, too. 
• How to adopt this model to service businesses beyond photography. 
• What freelance photographers struggle with and how Annemie responds. 
• The three phases of business Annemie thinks about. 

Biz Bite: Conduct an audit of your business systems — with the goals of automation and outsourcing. 

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Annemie’s This Can’t Be That Hard website, podcast and courses
• Annemie’s This Can’t Be That Hard Instagram account
• Annemie’s photography website
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Today’s guest is Abby Nieten. Abby lives in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area, with her husband and three sons. A year ago she launched her freelance business, Shining Waters Editorial, where she is a copy editor and proofreader specializing in business content and nonfiction manuscripts. 

Abby also recently launched a monthly newsletter called Stream of Confidence, which is for authors, writers and other business professionals who want to create and publish content that impacts other humans. It offers a steady stream of encouragement, inspiration, connection and quality assurance tips to help you publish your work with confidence. 

In today’s episode, Abby and I talk about:

• How a layoff led to her freelancing career. 
• Feeling undervalued and burnt out in the corporate world. 
• How she prepared for freelancing while still working full time. 
• How she’s getting clients.
• Trying to figure out pricing. 
• Four pivotal lessons she’s learned over the past year. 
• Why she wishes she had taken a break between being an employee and starting her freelance business. 
• Just do it — you don’t have to wait until you build the perfect structure and business plan before you start freelancing. 
• The challenge of finding the right client mix to provide more stability. 
• The importance of keeping a “sunshine folder” of evidence of your good work. 

Biz Bite: Explore the technology you’re already paying for before buying the new “shiny object.”  

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Abby’s website: ShiningWatersEditorial.com
• Abby’s Stream of Confidence newsletter
• Abby on LinkedIn 
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Today’s guest is Brionna Ned, a former big-law lawyer and in-house counsel for tech companies. She is now a legal educator and a writer. Her company, The Lawless Lawyer, is a legal education and consulting service for small business owners that provides you with the legal knowledge you need to create solid foundations in your business. She has a free workshop, “Legal Risk and Why it Matters,” that teaches you what legal risk is, how to identify it, and why its foundational to managing the legal of your business.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Brionna went from lawyer to owning a legal education business. 
• What she loves about her business.
• The basics of contracts.
• Why all service providers need a contract — and the reason is probably not what you think. 
• How to put boundaries in your contract. 
• Why it’s important to customize your contract and be sure you understand what it says. 
• What to do if you — or your client — doesn’t want to use a contract. 
• What to look for in a contract that a client sends you. 
• How to explain to a client (and really, their lawyer) why certain contract provisions don’t apply to you and should be deleted. 
• Why indemnification clauses are harmful and how to try to get them removed from a contract.
• If you can’t get indemnification clauses removed, know how to suggest changes to limit them in a scope. 
• Don’t sign a non-compete clause. 
• The difference between a non-disclosure agreement and a confidentiality agreement. 
• How to be proactive in ensuring you will be paid and paid on time. 
• What to do when you are not getting paid on time. 

Biz Bite: Not all money is good money. (Trust your instincts!) 

Resources:

• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• The Lawless Lawyer website
• Brionna on Threads
• Brionna on Instagram
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

On today’s show, I discuss the current state of freelancing, which includes massive layoffs and shuttered clients in the media and tech world. But even if that isn’t affecting you — maybe you’re even having your best year yet — you need to be prepared for the lean times and to set up your business to lessen the risk of feast-or-famine. That includes setting yourself apart, diversifying, always marketing, and more. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• The number of layoffs in the media industry in the past year. 
• The hits in the tech industry. 
• The number of freelancers in the U.S. — the highest number in history. 
• Should you panic — or investigate and embrace opportunities? 
• How to be a “futurist” for your industry and why that’s important. 
• Reflecting on whether your skills need to improve. 
• How to set yourself apart from the competition. 
• How to “bridge” to new projects and services. 
• Why setting and tracking monthly income goals is crucial. 
• At least 10 marketing ideas to try right now. 
• When to raise your rates. 

Biz Bite: Organize your tasks into front stage and back stage.

The Bookshelf: “Nightwatching” by Tracy Sierra

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Join the discussion in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Episode #64 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Episode #180 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Crush Your Fear of Self-Promotion and Get Clients Now, with C.J. Hayden
• Episode #116 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Create Case Studies to Land New Clients, with Emma Siemasko
• Episode #160 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Dreaded Feast or Famine!
• Episode #54 of Deliberate Freelancer: Think Digital First and Other Ways to Make Money Now
• Episode #53 of Deliberate Freelancer: Pivoting and Finding Resilience
• C.J. Hayden blog post “Avoiding the Feast or Famine Trap for Your Business”
• MBO Partners “State of Independence in America 2023” report
• “New Study Reveals Surge in Six-Figure Earners”
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Today’s guest is Jenni Gritters, from Oregon. She is a business coach for freelancers and creators. She’s also a former journalist, and a current writer who runs a small content and community agency called The Riverwoods Media Group. Jenni is the former co-host of The Writer’s Co-op podcast and workshops. 

Be sure to check out Jenni’s group coaching program for freelancers, called SUSTAIN.

In today’s episode, Jenni shares how she made a massive shift in her business, going from a freelancer; then part-time freelancer while raising two young kids, while her husband was a critical care nurse; then being the primary income earner while her husband took on the primary household and kid duties (and joined Jenni’s business).

We talk about all that, but we also talk a lot about building a successful business, from Jenni’s coaching perspective, which I really appreciated and learned from. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The many pivots and iterations of Jenni’s business.
• How, as a freelancer, she carried over the same negative work patterns she had as an employee. 
• Going from reactive to proactive in our business. 
• The decision for her husband to quit his nursing career and Jenni to become the primary income earner. 
• Splitting her business between coaching and a content agency. 
• How she structures her week — and why she takes Fridays off. 
• How she makes money as a coach. 
• How she switched from sole proprietor to an LLC to an S-Corp.
• Addressing the pushback against six-figure freelancers. 
• How your identity as a journalist may be holding you back. 
• How to evaluate and reflect on your business through a business audit. 
• How to make micro changes to gradually change the structure of your business. 
• Many freelance writers are experiencing a downturn — tips to find more work in this weird season. 

Biz Bite: Defining your “needle movers” every Monday 

Resources:

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Jenni’s group coaching program for freelancers: SUSTAIN.

Jenni’s website

Jenni on Instagram

Jenni on Twitter

Subscribe to Jenni’s “Mindset Mastery” free Substack newsletter

Download Jenni’s free business planning workbook

Gusto online payroll tool

In today’s episode, I am turning the microphone over to some of you, the listeners. Last fall I asked listeners to share their successful marketing tactics that landed them new clients. Today, eight listeners share their marketing wins with you. 

While each unique to the freelancer, there are a few themes. Often, the win originated from something simple, something that might not even have felt like marketing … and yet it paid off. 

Building relationships — which I talk about all the time — is also a theme here, as are staying curious and always looking for the opportunities in front of you. 

Here are the eight listeners sharing their success stories:

• Randy Ford
• Jonna Michelle
• Anja Lordanić Mustać
• Cat DiStasio
• Angela Myers
• Belinda Grace Fischer
• Nancy Keaton
• Pete Croatto

Biz Bite: Do an energy audit

The Bookshelf: “Northwoods” by Amy Pease

Resources:

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

Episode #180 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Crush Your Fear of Self-Promotion and Get Clients Now, with C.J. Hayden

Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC

Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is business coach and author C.J. Hayden, who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

C.J. Hayden is the author of seven books and hundreds of blog posts, articles, and courses on marketing, self-employment, and productivity. Her bestselling book “Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants and Coaches” has become the marketing bible for thousands of self-employed professionals and freelancers. 

C.J. has been a business coach for several decades now, helping self-employed professionals and creatives thrive. Her newest book is “Overcoming the Fear of Self-Promotion.” Other books include “The One-Person Marketing Plan Workbook” and “50 Ways Coaches Can Change the World.”

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How C.J. helps her coaching clients by being a “thinking partner”
• How the pandemic changed how we connect with clients
• Why referrals are the best way to land clients — and how to cultivate a referral network
• How introverts and shy people can prepare for networking conversations and build business relationships
• Marketing mistakes people make when trying to land new clients
• Consistent tactics — and creating a marketing routine —to get new clients
• Why tracking your follow-ups is important — and how to do it 
• 7 types of fears we may have when it comes to self-promotion
• How to discover which fears you have and learn how to overcome them
• How the fear of success might be holding you back

Biz Bite: Shut Up & Write! (a community to help you get your writing done)

Resources:

• Donate $5-$50 to support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Connect with C.J. at https://cjhayden.com
• Download C.J.’s free “Blueprint for a Thriving Mission-Based Business” ebook
• Episode #173 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Rethink — and Land More — Anchor Clients, with Wudan Yan
• Episode #167 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Use a “Cornerstone” Piece to Build a Content Marketing Plan, with Cassandra Le
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Episode #61 of Deliberate Freelancer: Getting Very Specific on Who Your Perfect Clients Are, with Eman Ismail
• Connect with Melanie on Threads
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

As we wrap up 2023, please consider donating $25 to this podcast. With more than 175 episodes and almost five years of content, I’m sure you’ve received at least one nugget of information or tactic that has helped your business. If so, please consider donating at Buy Me a Coffee. It really helps offset the costs of producing this show.

In today’s episode, I’m counting down my top 10 books of the year — 8 were published in 2023. I’ll start with a few of my reading statistics, share my top 10 and a few superlatives, and give you a heads-up about a few books coming out in 2024. Please enjoy, my fellow bookworms! 

And join us in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group, where we’ll be talking about our best and worst books of 2023! 

I don’t want to spoil where my top 10 books fell in the list, so the following books are ones I recommended during this episode, plus superlatives and upcoming releases.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Nonfiction:

What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet by Jeff Goodell

Fiction:

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin

Go as a River by Shelley Read

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

The Night Shift by Alex Finlay 

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay

Falling by T.J. Newman

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Superlatives:

Most deserving of the hype: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Least deserving of the hype: Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Hyped books that didn’t work for me and that I DNFed: Wellness by Nathan Hill; Shark Heart by Emily Habeck; Upgrade by Blake Crouch; The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon; and In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Most disappointing books: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and What Have We Done by Alex Finlay

WORST book: Silver Alert by Lee Smith

Most unputdownable and tense book: Drowning by T.J. Newman

Romances that made me like romances: Nora Goes Off Script by Annabelle Monaghan; The Last Love Note by Emma Grey; Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley

A 2023 book I still want to read: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

My anticipated 2024 books:

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan, publishes January 2

No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall, publishes January 23 (mystery/thriller)

Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins, publishes January 23 (for Jane Harper fans)

The Women by Kristin Hannah, publishes February 6 (about Vietnam war)

A Step Past Darkness by Vera Kurian, publishes February 20 (mystery/thriller)

Murder Road by Simone St. James, publishes March 5 (mystery/ghost story)

Still See You Everywhere by Lisa Gardner, publishes March 12 (Book 3 in Frankie Elkin mystery series)

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio, publishes April 2 (rom-com with magical realism )

Safe and Sound by Laura McHugh, publishes April 23 (mystery/thriller)

If Something Happens to Me by Alex Finlay, publishes May 28 (mystery/thriller)

Resources:

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

My admin status is back! Join us in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Episode #151 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Best Books of 2022

Episode #122 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Best Books of 2021 (and Anticipated 2022 Releases)

Episode #87 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Most Anticipated 2021 Books (and Fave 2020 Books)

Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC

Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

It’s the end of the year! On today’s show, I give a recap of my fourth quarter (hint: things are looking up!) and then a recap of my entire 2023.

What goals are you setting for yourself? Do you set an annual income goal or a word of the year? What are you most excited about for 2024 in your business? And what do you need to work on? Join me and fellow listeners in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group to share your plans and ideas with each other! 

This is the last business-focused episode of 2023. Next week will be my Top 10 books of the year for all you bookworms. I’ll also give a few superlative awards to books I read this year and list some fiction and business books coming out in 2024. 

Then, I’ll be on hiatus in January. I plan to return with new episodes in February. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• How much I earned in Q4
• My big win for Q4
• How many hours I worked each week on average in Q4
• How much I earned in 2023, compared to my goal
• The surprises I discovered when I evaluated who my clients were this year 
• My 2024 income goal 
• My 2024 word of the year 

Biz Bite: Plan now for future you

The Bookshelf: “No One Can Know” by Kate Alice Marshall

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• NEW! “Alternative Language to Harmful Indemnification Clauses in Contracts” shared by Melanie 
• My admin status is back! Join us in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Episode #174 of Deliberate Freelancer: Wrap Up Your Year with These 5 Questions
• Episode #173 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Rethink — and Land More — Anchor Clients, with Wudan Yan
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

On today’s show I share my thoughts and answers to commonly asked questions I hear from freelancers of all levels and in all industries. These are questions that seem to come up time and time again. There is no one right answer, and each question may have different answers depending on the service, the client and so many other variables. 

That said, I hope my answers to the following questions help you and allow you to make a decision that is supportive of you as a freelance business owner. 

In this episode, I address these seven questions:

1. How do I get steady clients?
2. Do I need headshots? Do I need a website? (Do I need XYZ for my business?)
3. How do I figure out a day rate?
4. I have a client who is so critical of my work! They have tons of edits and comments. This can cause multiple rounds of editing. What do I do? 
5. My client owes me several thousand dollars. How do I get them to pay me? 
6. My client included XYZ in their contract. How do I push back? 
7. How many hours should I be working each week as a full-time freelancer?

Biz Bite: Go on a field trip for office supplies. 

The Bookshelf: “This Is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are” by Melody Warnick 

Resources:

Email a voice memo about your successful marketing tactic to melanie@meledits.com to be considered for a future episode. Please include your name. 

• Jonna Michelle Photography’s video explaining so well who she is and who she serves. 
• NEW! “Alternative Language to Harmful Indemnification Clauses in Contracts” shared by Melanie 
• My admin status is back! Join us in the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Deliberate Freelancer Episodes About Finding Clients

• Episode #148 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Line Up January Work Now
• Episode #149 of Deliberate Freelancer: Evaluate—and Expand or Fire—Your Clients for a Strong 2023
• Episode #161 of Deliberate Freelancer: Getting Very Specific on Who Your Perfect Clients Are, with Eman Ismail
• Episode #65 of Deliberate Freelancer: The No. 1 Way I Find New Clients
• Episode #173 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Rethink — and Land More — Anchor Clients, with Wudan Yan
• Episode #98 of Deliberate Freelancer: Six-Figure Freelancing: The Benefits of Selling Strategy and Outcomes, with Austin Church
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church

Deliberate Freelancer Episodes About Pricing & Getting Paid

• Episode #74 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Get Paid on Time & Charge Late Fees, with Wudan Yan
• Episode #91 of Deliberate Freelancer: All Things Pricing: Project Rates, Day Rates, Retainers and More, with Jennifer Duann Fultz
• Episode #136 of Deliberate Freelancer: Money, Money, Money, with Finance and Pricing Mentor Susie Jackson
• Episode #141 of Deliberate Freelancer: Real Talk on Managing Your Money and Paying Taxes, with Bookkeeper Sabrina St. Peter
•  

Deliberate Freelancer Episodes About Scope Creep & Other Difficulties 

• Episode #36 of Deliberate Freelancer: Spotting Red Flags and Scope Creep
• Episode #129 of Deliberate Freelancer: A Script for Tough Client Conversations, with Treasa Edmond

Listeners, I need your help! Please contribute to an upcoming episode: Email me a voice memo of you describing a specific marketing tactic you did that landed you a client. Provide your name and helpful details of what you did that might have been unique or persistent that worked in securing new work. Email it to me at melanie@meledits.com to be considered for a future episode that will include tips from other listeners. Thank you!

Today’s episode is from my other podcast, Association Station, where I interview people who work at and with membership associations about a topic related to content, publishing and media. 

Many of the Association Station episodes may be relevant to your work too since the main focus is creating strong content. But today’s episode, in particular, is relevant for anyone who creates content — this conversation can help us both in the content we create for our freelance business and the content we create for our clients. We can also learn how to be advocates for less harmful, more aware and more conscious language.  

Today’s guest is Crystal Shelley, of Salt Lake City. Crystal is the owner of Rabbit with a Red Pen. She edits fiction and is an authenticity reader. Drawing on her background as a social worker, she unites her love of language and passion for social justice by pushing for writing and representation that’s more dignified, intentional, and just.

Crystal is the creator of the Conscious Language Toolkits for Editors and Writers — these toolkits are fantastic resources. 

Crystal also serves on the board of ACES: the Society for Editing and is an instructor for the Editorial Freelancers Association. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• What “conscious language” is, a term coined by Karen Yin, who also created the Conscious Style Guide.
• What the difference between “conscious language” and “inclusive language” is.
• Why using conscious language — and critically assessing the language we use — in our content is important. 
• Style guides are just that: guides. The primary ones, such as the Associated Press Stylebook and the Chicago Manual of Style, don’t always reflect the most updated and conscious language or the accepted language of a particular group. 
• Some pitfalls when editing and striving for conscious language.
• How we can advocate for using more conscious language with clients. 
• How we and our clients can respond to readers who criticize using “woke” or “politically correct” language or content. 
• Why everyone should embrace and use “singular they” in their content. 
• How to think about which words to use when identifying people by race and ethnicity. 
• What ableism and ableist language is and how incredibly prevalent it is in our society.  
• What “inspiration porn” is and why not to write so-called “inspiring” stories of people with disabilities. 
• What an “authenticity reader” or “sensitivity reader” is and how we can use these experts to avoid stereotypes and harming readers. 

Resources:

• Crystal’s Conscious Language Toolkits for Editors and Writers
• Crystal’s website
• Crystal on Twitter
• Crystal on Instagram
• Crystal on LinkedIn
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group 

Style Guides:

• Karen Yin’s Conscious Style Guide
• Trans Journalists Association Style Guide
• Native Governance Center Style Guide
• National Center on Disability and Journalism Style Guide
• American Psychosocial Association (APA) Style 
• Lydia X. Z Brown’s Glossary of Ableist Phrases 
• Authenticity reader directories:
• Editors of Color Database
• ACES–the Society for Editing’s Editors for Hire database
• Editorial Freelancers Association Member Directory
• Writing Diversely Sensitivity Reader Directory

Listeners, I need your help! Please contribute to an upcoming episode: Email me a voice memo of you describing a specific marketing tactic you did that landed you a client. Provide your name and helpful details of what you did that might have been unique or persistent that worked in securing new work. Email it to me at melanie@meledits.com to be considered for a future episode that will include tips from other listeners. Thank you!

Today’s guest is Ericka Andersen, a freelance writer living in Indianapolis. She is the author of two books and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Good Housekeeping, Christianity Today, and more. Ericka coaches writers on how to make a living as freelancers and also how to improve their article pitches to land big bylines. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Why Ericka became a freelance writer.
• Lessons Ericka learned as she improved her freelance business.
• How Ericka balances higher-paying anchor clients versus the more creative, passionate work she yearns to do. 
• Successful ways Ericka found anchor clients.
• How Ericka improved her own pitching process. 
• How Ericka coaches writers on writing better pitches. 
• The importance of cultivating a good story idea.
• How to find the right editors to reach out to.
• What makes a good pitch.
• When to follow up and when to send a pitch to a different editor. 
• How to become a “dream writer” for an editor to work with. 
• How these skills can also help you provide “earned media” services for other clients. 
• How writing an opinion piece for a newspaper can get your foot in the door. 

Biz Bite: Find solutions to problems your current clients are having.

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Register for Ericka’s free From Pitch to Paycheck course
• Ericka’s business: Pitch&Publish
• Get Ericka’s “10 Proven Tips for Publishing Your Writing This Year”
• Pitch&Publish on Instagram
• Sign up for Sonia Weiser’s twice-weekly Writing Opportunities newsletter
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group — The “join group” isn’t working, so you can temporarily “friend” Melanie on Facebook so she can add you to the group (or anyone you know who is in the group can add you as a new member).

Listeners, I would love your help! Please contribute to an upcoming episode: Email me a voice memo of you describing a specific marketing tactic you did that landed you a client. Provide your name and helpful details of what you did that might have been unique or persistent that worked in securing new work. Email it to me at melanie@meledits.com to be considered for a future episode that will include tips from other listeners. 

On today’s show, I share five questions to help you wrap up your year to create a “fresh start” in January. I explain the difference between these five questions and larger questions to ask yourself later in a solo business retreat to set up your year for success.

The five questions are:

1. What do I need to do now to line up work in January? 
2. What do I need to do to wrap up the year? 
3. Do I need to raise rates or fire anyone? 
4. Where do I need to improve my marketing and networking?
5. How much money did I make this year?
   

Biz Bite: Front-load your week

The Bookshelf: “Wandering Souls” by Cecile Pin

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Episode #149 of Deliberate Freelancer: Evaluate—and Expand or Fire—Your Clients for a Strong 2023
• Episode #123 of Deliberate Freelancer: My 2021 Business Review and Questions to Help You
• Episode #148 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Line Up January Work Now
• Episode #3 of Deliberate Freelancer: Host a Solo Business Retreat
• Episode #162 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Solo Business Retreat Reminded Me to Always Be Marketing
• Episode #139 of Deliberate Freelancer: A Solo Biz Retreat After a Struggling Summer
• 16 of the best virtual gifts for clients and employees
• 25 fun corporate gifts for clients you want to impress
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Wudan Yan, a narrative writer and independent journalist from Seattle. Wudan is also host of The Writers’ Co-op, a podcast, online community and learning academy for freelance creatives.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• The different ways to define an “anchor client.”
• Why and how Wudan is rethinking the concept of an “anchor client.” 
• How the current economy is affecting freelance creatives. 
• The importance of “offboarding” clients.
• How to turn current clients into anchor clients. 
• The importance of building and maintaining business relationships. 
• Why Wudan and I charge mostly project rates.
• How Wudan pushes for project rates in service areas that are traditionally paid by the hour. 
• Why now is the time to start planning for January and the rest of 2024. 

Biz Bite: Do a business audit now at the end of the year

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• The Writers’ Co-op
• Register for the November 29 “The 2023 Business Refresh with The Writers’ Co-op”
• Linktree landing page of resources and events from The Writers’ Co-op
• Wudan on Instagram
• Episode #74 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Get Paid on Time & Charge Late Fees, with Wudan Yan
• Episode #92 of Deliberate Freelancer: Improve Client Relationships with Stellar Onboarding and Offboarding, with Kat Boogaard
• Episode #11 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Find the Right Anchor Clients
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

It’s time for my analysis and reflection on how my third quarter of the year went. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

1. The many ways tracking my time helps my business. 
2. How I use Freshbooks and Toggl to help me analyze my progress. 
3. The steps I use to analyze my quarter: 
   1. Calculated how much I invoiced for that quarter.
   2. Counted how many clients I worked for. 
   3. Used time tracking data to see how many hours I worked on average each week. 
   4. Did the math to see how much I earned per hour on certain projects by dividing the project rate by the hours it took to complete.
   5. Reflected and analyzed.
4. The amount of money I earned in Q3 and how it compared to Q2 and my goals. 
5. How a delayed Indiana vacation derailed my schedule.
6. How many clients I had in Q3 and the types of clients they were.
7. How much I earned on certain article assignments. 
8. Anchor clients versus rock steady clients versus confetti clients. 
9. How I landed several of these clients. 

How was your third quarter? Have you hit your annual revenue goal? Have you started thinking about if and when you’re going to take off some days around the holidays? 

Biz Bite: Embrace whimsy

The Bookshelf: “The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir of Lying, Stealing, Writing, and Healing” by Lara Love Hardin

Resources:

Help out Marvel artist Thomas Tenney via GoFundMe. 

Laura Vanderkam’s book “Tranquility by Tuesday”

Episode #168 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Q2 Audit: It Can Only Go Uphill from Here, Right?

Episode #115 of Deliberate Freelancer: Time Tracking Lessons from Deliberate Freelancer Listeners

Episode #5 of Deliberate Freelancer: Track Your Time for Better Efficiency

Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC

Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn

Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

On today’s show I discuss how I think about freelance “dealbreakers,” which aren’t only the red flags I’ve noticed over time but also may simply be quirks of my personality or assumptions I’ve made. 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• Rethinking “strategy” and whether saying “I don’t do strategy” is holding me back.
• What I learned from Ed Gandia’s thoughts on strategy.
• Why I like to create “bridge” projects.
• How I’m rethinking some of my more stubborn dealbreakers. 
• How some dealbreakers are in my head and only cause me to beat myself up for not sticking to them. 
• How you can evaluate your dealbreakers and push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Biz Bite: Set a single goal for your day

The Bookshelf: “In Light of All Darkness: Inside the Polly Klaas Kidnapping and the Search for America’s Child” by Kim Cross

Resources:

• Help out Marvel artist Thomas Tenney via GoFundMe. 
• Episode #166 of Deliberate Freelancer: Smart Advice from the Content Byte Summit
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

This month, I am celebrating 10 years of full-time freelancing! I can’t quite believe it’s been that long, but I’ve loved nearly everything about it. 10 years of freedom! 

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• What the freedom of freelancing has meant to me and what it has allowed me to do.
• How I now realize I was never cut out for a desk job. 
• How I adapt my work schedule around my life schedule. 
• The freedom of not having to deal with the drama of a workplace!
• At least three lessons I learned as a freelancer. 
• A few things I wished I had done sooner as a freelancer. 

Biz Bite: Make it easy for clients to find you!

The Bookshelf: “Lone Women” by Victor LaValle

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Episode #1 of Deliberate Freelancer: Change Your Mindset: You Own a Freelance Business
• Episode #29 of Deliberate Freelancer: 3 Big Financial Changes I Made This Week
• Episode #18 of Deliberate Freelancer: How to Set Higher Rates
• Episode #9 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Money Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

Today’s guest is Brian David Hall. Brian is a fellow freelancer who lives in Alabama. He focuses on website strategy for B2B clients. Specifically, he works on conversion optimization, which basically means trying to improve the experience of potential clients going to your website. 

Brian is the author “Your Website Sucks, Here’s How To Fix It,” and he has run hundreds of experiments across dozens of websites, which has generated millions of dollars in incremental revenue for his clients. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How having a website can bring in clients. 
• Why a blog can be helpful to attract clients. 
• Common website mistakes and how to fix them. 
• It’s time to improve my website — where do I start? 
• How to use a five-second test to evaluate the usability of your site. 
• Go through your site on mobile like a client would to make sure it’s easy to navigate. 
• How to do a heat map analysis. 
• How “hallway usability” testing can be helpful. 

Biz Bite: Work with other people in a co-working session online. 

Resources:

• Free resources from Brian: https://briandavidhall.com/deliberate-freelancer 
• Brian’s book: “Your Website Sucks, Here’s How To Fix It.”
• Website builders: Wix and Squarespace
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

On today’s show, I analyze how the second quarter of the year went for me. It’s delayed because of my summer hiatus, but the “delay” doesn’t really mean anything to listeners — just think of it as “how these three months in a row went.” Learn how many clients I had, how much I earned, and how many hours I worked.  

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• A quick update on a project I talked about in Q1.
• A sneak peek into something I figured out for my health in Q3. 
• What was a huge mental health game-changer for me in Q2. 
• How many clients I had and how much money I earned in Q2. 
• Why cash flow is critical (hint: an issue with a significantly delayed payment).
• How many hours I worked per week on average in Q2 — and how that compares to past quarters. 
• Two examples of how time tracking was helpful in Q2. 

Biz Bite: Use templates for everything. 

The Bookshelf: “Reef Road” by Deborah Goodrich Royce.

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station
• Episode #158 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Four Client Wins and One Fail in Q1
• Episode #160 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Dreaded Feast or Famine!
• How I Work podcast (September 20, 2023): Katy Milkman wants to leave things better than she found them
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Cassandra Le, owner of The Quirky Pineapple Studio, a brand strategy and content marketing studio that works with Black, Indigenous and people of color, queer folks and intersectional feminists. 

Cassandra is originally from Virginia in the United States, but she now lives in Spain. For more than 13 years, she has been creating content across all mediums (written, graphics, audio, video, photography), and through her business. She works with mission-driven brands and thought leaders around the world in English and Spanish — helping them share their story, connect with their community, and drive brand awareness with content marketing that is enjoyable and anti-oppressive.

Cassandra believes believe business and marketing can be fun AND be used as tools to dismantle systems of oppression.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Cassandra’s studio, The Quirky Pineapple Studio, got its name. 
• How she went from freelance travel writing to running her agency. 
• Why content marketing is important, even to those who traditionally are able to rely heavily on referrals.
• Cassandra recommends that you start your content marketing strategy with a “cornerstone” piece of content. 
• Why you should plan your life before you plan your content. 
• Some of the current content marketing trends. 
• How to get started on TikTok (and do you need to?).
• Why you should use LinkedIn more.
• How content marketing has changed and why it’s now a long-term game. 
• How Cassandra builds an inclusive content marketing strategy through cultural competency and why that’s important to her. 
• The new app for Gen Z: BeReal.

Biz Bites: Put phone on “do not disturb” mode. And, “group tabs” on Google Chrome. 

Resources:

• The Quirky Pineapple Studio website
• The Quirky Pineapple Studio on Instagram
• Cassandra on Instagram
• I’m lost, so what? podcast
• How to group tabs on Google Chrome
• NPR article: BeReal is Gen Z’s new favorite social media app. Here’s how it works
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

On today’s show I provide a recap of The Content Byte Summit, which was held in Sydney, Australia, September 15-16. I attended virtually and was super impressed with the content, particularly all the discussion around artificial intelligence. There was also a lot of great tactical advice about running your freelance business, so even if you’re not a writer, I think you can learn from some of the advice I’m sharing today.  

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• A panel about humans versus AI discussed how a writer can stand out nowadays.
• Where AI fails and isn’t helpful.
• AI is a word predictor, so that means it has no original thought, no anecdotes, no creativity, no vulnerability. Those are areas you should include in your content. 
• Why Ed Gandia no longer uses the word “strategy.” 
• How to stop giving away your strategy and advice to clients for free. 
• Tips from a panel on how to escape the low-paying cycle and make more money. 
• Why accountability partners and mastermind groups can be good for you. 
• What types of letters of introduction (LOIs) to send out. 
• Tips from a session on how to find new clients. 
• A recap of Jennifer Goforth Gregory’s keynote presentation: “The Secret to My $15,000 Months and How I Consistently Hit Income Targets.” 
• Important questions Jennifer encourages us to ask as we build our business. 

Biz Bite: Provide a luxury good

The Bookshelf: “What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator” by Barbara Butcher

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• The Content Byte Summit
• The Content Byte podcast
• Ed Gandia’s podcast: High-Income Business Writing
• Jennifer Goforth Gregory’s book and blog: The Freelance Content Marketing Writer 
• Writer and editor Carrie Hutchinson
• Freelance journalist Cameron Bayley
• Claire Kimball, founder and managing director of Squiz Media (an Australian news podcast)
• Lindy Alexander and her blog, The Freelancer’s Year
• Episode #156 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Risks and Opportunities of ChatGPT
• Episode #11 of Association Station (Melanie’s other podcast): In Conversation with Jemilah Senter, about Opportunities and Risks of AI Tools Like ChatGPT
• Episode #100 of Deliberate Freelancer: Lessons from a Pandemic Year, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory
• Episode #4 of Deliberate Freelancer: Work Only with Nice Clients, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Episode #98 of Deliberate Freelancer: Six-Figure Freelancing: The Benefits of Selling Strategy and Outcomes, with Austin Church
• Episode #81 of Deliberate Freelancer: Six-Figure Freelancing: Focus on a Niche and Partner with Other Freelancers, with Lynne Testoni
• The Content Byte podcast episode with Melanie: Melanie Padgett Powers, US-based healthcare writer and podcaster, shares the secrets of her success
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

The podcast is back after my summer hiatus! Thanks for continuing to listen and support the show. 

Here’s what I share with you in today’s episode:

• The importance of taking breaks for your mental fitness and for better client work. 
• The types of breaks you should be thinking about and planning for.
• Why planned and unplanned mental health breaks are important.
• What happens when you neglect your networking and marketing and slow down too much. 
• Why you have to work at getting referrals. 
• How I’m ready to embrace this new “back to school” season — and why I need to get my act together! 
• New episodes of my second podcast, Association Station, that might also appeal to you (see links below). 
• What happened to my Facebook account and the status of the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 

Biz Bite: The 1% rule of thumb (by Brian Hood)

The Bookshelf: “Beyond That, the Sea” by Laura Spence-Ash

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station
• Episode #10 of Association Station: In Conversation with Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD, CAE, about Stress, Burnout and Other Mental Health Issues
• Episode #11 of Association Station: In Conversation with Jemilah Senter, about Opportunities and Risks of AI Tools Like ChatGPT
• Episode #13 of Association Station: In Conversation with Crystal Shelley, about the Importance of Using Conscious Language in Our Writing and Editing
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Brian Hood’s 6 Figure Creative podcast
• Episode #65 of Deliberate Freelancer: The No. 1 Way I Find New Clients (Referrals)
• Episode #152 of Deliberate Freelancer: How Mary Tindall Began to Earn $200,000 a Year as a Freelancer
• Episode #162 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Solo Business Retreat Reminded Me to Always Be Marketing

Deliberate Freelancer is on a summer hiatus and will return toward the end of August or early September. Take this time to listen to some previous episodes or relisten to favorite guests! Or make a playlist of specific topics, like finding clients or pricing projects. 

The Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group will be active during this time, so please join us over there for great conversations with other listeners. You can ask for advice and share your experiences. 

If you have benefited from this podcast, please help support the show financially at Buy Me a Coffee.

And check out Melanie’s second podcast, Association Station. Season 1 debuted last summer, and season 2 will be released soon. So, subscribe now on your favorite podcast app.

Today’s guest is Austin Church from Knoxville, Tennessee. Austin helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer (CMO), consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives.

Austin was one of the six-figure freelancers I featured on the show in May 2021. We’ve since become friends, and his podcast, Freelance Cake, was in my ears during my recent solo business retreat — because I needed all his marketing advice!

I realized you all could benefit from hearing some of his great marketing strategies and tactics too, so I invited him back on the show.

In this episode, we talk about: 

• What a “fractional” role is for a freelancer and how Austin moved into that role. 
• How Austin defines and sells strategy.
• Why templates are so important. 
• How Austin works through a “content road map” with clients. 
• Austin’s marketing strategy and his “freakout” protocol. 
• The difference between “cold” leads and “warm” leads. 
• Austin’s 3 R’s of marketing: repeat business, referrals and relationships.
• How Austin uses LinkedIn to get new clients: tips from Sharon Wu.
• Don’t be afraid to ask other freelancers you know for referrals. 

Biz Bite: Have a shut-down ritual that identifies three priorities for the next day and include “marketing” as one of the priorities. 

Resources:

• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.
• Austin’s website and his free freelance course: AustinLChurch.com
• Austin on LinkedIn
• Austin’s Freelance Cake podcast episode: 7-Step Freakout Protocol for Getting Last-Minute Freelance Income
• Episode #98 of Deliberate Freelancer: Six-Figure Freelancing: The Benefits of Selling Strategy and Outcomes, with Austin Church 
• How Austin uses LinkedIn to get new clients: tips from Sharon Wu
• Find email addresses: Hunter.io

Today’s guest is Helen Jane  Campbell. Helen is from Wales and recently moved from Hay-on-Wye, Wales, to Worthing, England.

Helen is a life and business coach for ambitious and creative entrepreneurs, bringing authenticity and energy to all she does.

Clients turn to Helen when they feel ready to bring more joy, energy, and abundance into their lives and their teams. She helps people create space and reconnect with their self-worth and creative freedom.

Prior to becoming a coach, Helen spent two decades of her career in PR and communications strategy — with a focus on creativity and on building and leading effective teams. She worked directly with decision-makers and CEOs. 

Helen is the author of the book “Founders, Freelancers & Rebels” and the co-founder of Hay Pride, the Pride celebration Hay-on-Wye. She also hosts monthly sessions on Zoom called Powerful Journaling. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Helen went from employee to freelance PR professional to business coach. 
• Helen’s book, “Founders, Freelancers & Rebels.”
• What Helen’s clients are feeling and dealing with now in 2023.
• Ask yourself: What assumptions are you making about your business? 
• Dealing with the feeling of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.
• How Helen responds when people are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
• What did you love to do when you were 12?
• “RAIN” technique to try when you’re feeling scattered or unmoored. 
• The phrase Helen hates and why. 

Biz Bite: Fall Back in Love with Your Business 

Resources:

• Helen’s website
• Helen’s monthly Powerful Journaling workshop
• Helen’s book, “Founders, Freelancers & Rebels”
• Helen’s Substack newsletter
• Helen on Twitter
• Tara Brach’s RAIN technique
• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.

On today’s show I share my structure, agenda and my action plan developed during my most recent solo business retreat.

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• Please leave a rating and review for Deliberate Freelancer on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast platform. 
• Why I chose Thomasville, Georgia, for my latest solo business retreat.
• How I structured my retreat and my theme for the two days.
• What happened when I stopped consistently following my Always Be Marketing rule.
• How Austin Church’s podcast Freelance Cake helped me.
• The two big questions I asked myself as I started my retreat. 
• How I evaluated my best income months from 2022 and built lessons and action around what worked in those months.
• How I created a list of top-level services that bring in money and are services I enjoy — so I can focus on getting work in those areas first. 
• The two areas I am focusing on as part of the new marketing strategy and action plan I created. 

Biz Bite: Let an app do your errands

The Bookshelf: “The Verifiers” by Jane Pek

Resources:

• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station
• Episode #153 of Deliberate Freelancer: My 2022 and Q4 Audit and Six Lessons from Last Year
• Episode #152 of Deliberate Freelancer: How Mary Tindall Began to Earn $200,000 a Year as a Freelancer
• Episode #160 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Dreaded Feast or Famine!
• Episode #98 of Deliberate Freelancer: Six-Figure Freelancing: The Benefits of Selling Strategy and Outcomes, with Austin Church
• Freelance Cake podcast: 7-Step Freakout Protocol for Getting Last-Minute Freelance Income
• From the Front Porch podcast
• The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia

Today’s guest is Eman Ismail, an email strategist and copywriter who is originally from England and now lives in Finland. She also coaches copywriters. 

Eman is the person to call when you want to make money from your emails. As an email conversion strategist and copywriter, she helps six-figure-plus online business owners and ecommerce brands fire up their conversions, evergreen their sales and turn fans into superfans.

Eman is also the host of the podcast Mistakes That Made Me, which asks extraordinary business owners to share their biggest business mistake, so you know what NOT to do on your road to success.

I confess I had trouble coming up with a title for this episode because we cover a lot of ground and Eman shares such great advice and lessons. We talk in-depth about finding your niche and figuring out who the perfect clients are for you. Eman also goes into great detail about her intake form, which weeds out all the not-right clients. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• How Eman niched down from a copywriter to an email strategist
• How finding your niche is not the only way to be successful but is perhaps the fastest way
• Try a bit of everything at first — your niche will often find you
• Don’t get distracted by going after the niche where you think you can charge the most; you have to enjoy your niche also
• How defining your core values as a business owner helps you focus your business goals
• Switching from monthly income goals to quarterly income goals
• Paying yourself first, with the same amount every two weeks or every month
• How Eman prepared for maternity leave
• Defining and focusing intently on the clients that are right for you
• Creating a detailed intake form so sales calls happen only with the right clients
• How to go from an intake form to the sales call to landing the client
• Tips for freelancers when creating their own email newsletters 
• Why Eman records all her sales calls
• Eman’s podcast Mistakes That Made Me 

Biz Bite: Session Buddy

(Google Chrome extension to save your tabs)

Resources:

Eman is offering Deliberate Freelancer listeners 50% off her A Week of Workshops bundle. Go to the link for more information. Click through to checkout and use coupon code: EMAN-MEL-PODCAST.

Eman’s website: Emancopyco.com

Eman’s free 35-minute class The Email Rules

Eman’s Like a Boss course about the business side of running a copywriting business. 

“Preparing for Maternity Leave with Eman Ismail” on the Being Boss podcast

Eman’s podcast Mistakes That Made Me 

Eman on Instagram

Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 

Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.

On today’s show, I discuss how I found myself in the dreaded “famine” part of the feast-or-famine cycle and what I’m trying to do about it.

Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

• A few tips when you’re in the “feast” phase.
• How to tell clients no — and turn down work when you’re too busy. 
• My three-pronged approach to get out of the famine stage. 
• The importance of figuring out where your potential clients are and getting involved in that space.
• The upcoming Content Marketing World, which will be outside Cleveland, Ohio, for the first time. It will be held in Washington, DC, September 27-28, 2023.
• The importance of my Always Be Marketing rule. 
• Asking yourself big picture questions surrounding “how did I get stuck in this famine stage?” 

Biz Bite: Use the two-minute rule to get things done

The Bookshelf: “Nora Goes off Script” by Annabel Monaghan

Resources:

• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.
• Episode #158 of Deliberate Freelancer: My Four Client Wins and One Fail in Q1
• Content Marketing World, Washington, DC, September 27-28, 2023

Today’s guest is Ernie Smith, a longtime writer for nonprofits and membership associations. He also has a lot of experience in graphic design, content strategy, content management systems, newsletter creation, and content.

Ernie is also a tech writer — that includes writing about technology for Vice magazine — and Ernie is a self-proclaimed tech nerd. His name and voice might sound familiar because I just had him on the ChatGPT episode a few weeks ago. That was episode 156. 

So, I thought he was the perfect person to come on the show and introduce us to a variety of tech tools that we might want to try out for our businesses. 

We broke this discussion down into various categories of tools, ones that can help with writing, note-taking, audio recording, scheduling meetings, graphic design, and newsletter platform tools. Ernie shares dozens of tools and also talks a bit about the benefits of publishing our own newsletter. 

In this episode, we talk about: 

• Writing tools, including Markdown, Bear, Obsidian, iA writer, Lex AI
• Tool to synchronize programs between computers and phones: Syncthing
• Google Docs feature we might not be taking advantage of
• Note-taking tools: Markdown, Evernote, Notion
• Task management tools: Flow Pomodoro timer
• Meeting and interview recording: Otter.ai, Rev
• Audio routing: Loopback
• Scheduling meetings: Calendly 
• The benefits of publishing your own newsletter
• Newsletter platforms: Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, Newsletter Glue (a WordPress plug-in)
• Graphic design tools: Canva, Pixelmator, Affinity Photo
• The importance of optimizing a few tools that are best for YOU

Resources:

• Ernie’s newsletter: Tedium.co
• Ernie on Twitter
• Ernie on Mastodon: @ernie@writing.exchange
• Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group. 
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee.
• Episode #156 of Deliberate Freelancer: The Risks and Opportunities of ChatGPT